Free Float Personal Floatation Device

ABSTRACT

A comfortable personal floatation device that provides adjustable buoyancy to a wearer for water activities. One or more foam-like tubes are worn on the upper back of the wearer. The wearer places an arm in each of the respective arm holes and secures the floatation device with an attachment piece across the chest. The floatation device is can be configured for many applications, is lightweight, easy to use, and does not restrict movement of the wearer&#39;s arms or legs.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to personal floatation devices. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to personal floatationdevices that are worn on or about the shoulders and chest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Personal floatation devices are generally worn by individuals engagingin water activities, and are designed to increase the wearer's buoyancyin the water, thereby enabling the user to focus less on staying afloat.Personal floatation devices typically are formed in the shape of a vestto cover the wearer's torso and have two armholes for receiving thewearer's arms, and allow their hands to remain unencumbered.

Unfortunately, many of these vests are often unused by the individualsthat would benefit the most from their assistance because they arerestrictive, tend to rise up toward the neck, and are uncomfortable,especially in warm weather. The primary purpose of these vests is tokeep the person afloat with their head above water. This task is usuallyaccomplished by keeping the body substantially vertical in the water, sothat their head and face remain above water.

Vests that keep the persons head above water tend to be bulky and hamperthe normal range of arm motion necessary for swimming. Beginningswimmers and young children love to play in the water, but do not likethe discomfort, chafing and encumbrance of wearing a vest or floatationdevice that dampers their fun.

Ideally, personal floatation devices should be worn at all times when aperson is in the water, although it is not currently required. Evenexpert swimmers have drowned in a pool due to accidents, leg cramps, andother circumstances beyond their control. It is always advised that youshould never swim alone, but when swimming at home in a personal orprivate pool, using the “buddy system” is not always an option. Having apersonal floatation device like the free float alleviates many of thefears of swimming alone without the discomfort of prior art devices.

Some of the shortcomings of using a prior art personal floatation deviceinclude: restriction of swim related movements, improper fit for varioussizes and shapes of swimmers, bulkiness of the device, and a lack ofstylishness or designer appeal. Many other prior art devices also becomesmelly and moldy from repeated use in the water, thereby furtherdecreasing their likelihood of being used.

An example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,046, for a “floatation aid”. Thisinvention discloses a straight strip of closed cell foam material bentinto a U shape, wherein the swimmers head/neck rests on the bend of theU, and the two sides rest against the swimmers chest and is secured bystraps around the back. The U shaped bend behind the neck may serve tokeep the persons head above water when floating on their back, but canalso be quite restricting of the swimming movements when swimming ontheir stomach, and even restrict head movements necessary to lift theirface out of the water.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,729 discloses a personal flotation device havingboth a front and back buoyant body portion connected together by strapsover the shoulders and around the upper torso. This combination of afront and back portion limits the sizes of wearers, and does not alloweffective contouring to the various shapes of individuals. Largerpersons, and very small children would be difficult to fit comfortablybetween the two floatation portions.

Therefore, there remains a need for an improved and more comfortablepersonal floatation device that allows a beginning swimmer to remainafloat while learning how to swim, and allows an experienced swimmer orexerciser to increase their buoyancy and focus more on their techniqueor exercise rather than staying afloat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The free float is an easy to use and comfortable to wear floatationdevice that provides an adjustable fit for various sizes and shapes, aswell as adjustable buoyancy. The enhanced durability of the free floatis provided by the plastic sleeves or end caps inside the tubes thatoverlap the inner edge of the tube to prevent the wearing away of theinner edges of the foam from the movement of the connecting ropes asthey are pulled against the inner edge of the tube.

The free float is comprised of one or more foam tubes worn on the upperback of the swimmer by placing their left and right arms throughrespective arm holes and securing the free float to their body with astrap across the chest. If additional buoyancy is desired, additionalfoam tubes can be added to the free float by connecting the ropes to therings attached to each end of the foam tube. The simplicity of design,and the minimalization of materials aids in the comfortability to thewearer. The free float is suitable for all ages, lightweight andunrestricting, and is barely noticeable when engaging in wateractivities.

To resolve the drawbacks associated with the prior art, it is an objectof the present invention to provide swimmers, water exercisers, andother users with an improved, personal floatation device that increasesthe users buoyancy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a floatation devicewith adjustable straps to accommodate a wide range of sizes and shapesof individuals while maintaining maximum comfort for the wearer.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lightweightand easy to use personal floatation device that is inexpensive tomanufacture.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide apersonal floatation device that can be configured to provide anadjustable level of buoyancy depending on the weight of the wearer, orthe amount of buoyancy desired.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a floatationdevice that is not bulky, easy to store, and easy to transport.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatationdevice that is comfortable enough that it does not have to be removedwhen the wearer takes a break from the water, and can be worn wheneating, lounging by the pool, or going to the restroom.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a personalfloatation device that can be incorporated into water vehicles, cruiseships and aircraft chairs in cases of emergency.

These and additional objects of the present inventions may be determinedfrom a review of the instant disclosure, disclosing a personalfloatation device that is both comfortable for the user, and easy touse.

Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention willbecome apparent upon a consideration of the following detaileddescription, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.The brief description sets forth broadly, the more important features ofthe present disclosure so that the detailed description that follows maybe better understood, and so that the present contributions to the artmay be better appreciated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention, showing threebuoyancy tubes interconnected by the attachment ropes running throughthe center of the tubes.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of an additional buoyancy tube that canbe connected to the free float by attaching the ropes to the attachmentring at either the top or bottom of the free float.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the free float with attachment rings foreasy attachment of additional tubes.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a person wearing an embodiment of the freefloat personal floatation device.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a person wearing an embodiment of the freefloat personal floatation device.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a person wearing an alternate embodiment ofthe free float personal floatation device.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a person wearing an alternate embodiment of thefree float personal floatation device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the free float personal floatationdevice incorporated into the backrest of a watercraft or aircraft chair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, the free float combines two or more substantiallyequal lengths of buoyant material that are loosely connected formingrows of buoyant tubes. A hollow plastic sleeve is contained within theinterior of the tubes for conducting the rope or strap material thatconnects each tube together and forms the armholes and then leads to thefront torso attachment. The other modes of carrying out the invention,without departing from the scope of the invention, will become apparentto those skilled in the art as the description proceeds.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, a first embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. As best seen in FIG. 1, the free float pfd 10comprises a series of foam tubes 16 that are connected together by aconnecting rope 12. The connecting rope 12 also forms the left arminsert 18 and the right arm insert 20 which each have an attachment loop22 at their end. The free float 10 is secured to the person of thewearer by the fastener 14 that secures the attachment loop 22 of theleft arm insert 18 to the attachment loop 22 of the right arm insert 20.If additional buoyancy is desired, an additional buoyancy tube 30 asshown in FIG. 2 can be attached.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the free float connecting rope 12 allowsfree movement of the arms and shoulders.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an alternate embodiment of the free float 10 wherethe buoyancy tubes 16 are connected with adjustable straps 28 that goesover the shoulders and use loops in the strap to allow movement of theindividual tubes, but additionally has a shorter cross strap 32 forpreventing the tubes from rising too far up the back toward the neck.

FIG. 8 shows the free float 10 as incorporated in the back rest of awatercraft or aircraft chair. The foam tubes provide the cushion andback support in the chair, but are removeably inserted for use as afloatation device in case of emergency. The pull tabs 34 near thepassengers left and right shoulders would be pulled open to expose freefloat.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

While the above descriptions contain much specificity, these should notbe construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but asexemplifications of the presently preferred embodiments thereof. Manyother ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings ofthe various embodiments. For example the free float can also be used asa head and neck rest, either within or outside the water. The foam tubescan be placed behind the lower back when sitting in a pool chair orlounge chair to provide lower back support. The free float islightweight and portable and can also be stored on cruise ships withouttaking up additional space by draping them across the back of poolchairs for use as back support or headrests, and then worn in the poolor used in case of an emergency for life saving purposes.

What is claimed:
 1. A personal floatation device comprising: one or morebuoyancy tubes for maintaining buoyancy while in the water withoutadditional effort by the wearer, a rope-like connecting means forconnecting said buoyancy tubes to each other and the wearer, and afastening means for securing the floatation device to the person of thewearer.
 2. The personal floatation device of claim 1 wherein thebuoyancy tubes are comprised of closed cell foam.
 3. The personalfloatation device of claim 1 wherein the rope-like connecting means iscomprised of braided nylon or polyester materials.
 4. The personalfloatation device of claim 1, further comprising one or more plasticsleeves for insertion into the center of the buoyancy tubes to reducefrictional contact.
 5. The personal floatation device of claim 1 whereinthe fastening means is selected from the group consisting of: acarabiner, a plastic clip fastener, a buckle.
 6. The personal floatationdevice of claim 2 wherein the fastening means is a screw lockingcarabiner.
 7. The personal floatation device of claim 1, furthercomprising one or more end caps for insertion into the buoyancy tubesfor reducing frictional contact between the connecting means and thebuoyancy tube.
 8. The personal floatation device of claim 1 wherein theconnecting means includes an arm enclosing loop on each side of thebuoyancy tubes for encircling the arms.
 9. The personal floatationdevice of claim 8 wherein each arm encircling loop further includes anattachment loop for connecting with the fastening means.
 10. Thepersonal floatation device of claim 1 wherein the floatation device canbe removeably contained within the backrest of a watercraft chair oraircraft chair.
 11. The personal floatation device of claim 1 whereinthe floatation device can be removeably contained within the seat of awatercraft chair or aircraft chair.
 12. A personal floatation devicecomprising one or more buoyancy tubes that can be removably worn by aperson by inserting each arm through respective left and rightstrap-like connecting means and securing the left and right connectingmeans with a fastening means on the front of their torso.
 13. The deviceof claim 12, further comprising a cross strap for inhibiting upwardmovement of the buoyancy tubes.
 14. The device of claim 12, wherein thebuoyancy tubes are comprised of closed cell foam.
 15. The personalfloatation device of claim 13, further comprising one or more plasticsleeves for insertion into the center of the buoyancy tubes to reducefrictional contact.
 16. The personal floatation device of claim 12,further comprising one or more split rings for connecting with theattachment means.
 17. The personal floatation device of claim 12,further comprising an additional buoyancy tube and connecting means forattachment to a free float personal floatation device for increasedbuoyancy.
 18. The personal floatation device of claim 12 wherein thefloatation device can be removeably incorporated into a watercraft chairor aircraft chair.
 19. The personal floatation device of claim 12wherein the connecting means comprises adjustable straps.